*** The Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance (Mspas) of Guatemala confirmed this Saturday six new cases of simian smallpox and accumulates a total of 61 since its appearance in that Central American nation. Through a press release, the Mspas informed that all the patients are men between 21 and 26 years old, residents of the departments of Guatemala (5) and Escuintla (1). "So far, the epidemiological investigation has not determined that there is any relationship between them or with previously confirmed cases," said the official document.
*** The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) recently warned about the worsening of hunger suffered by millions of people in the world today and the consequences of not renewing the food exception between Russia, Ukraine and Turkey. On the occasion of World Food Day this October 16, FAO provided data revealing 345 million hungry people on the planet and the death of one of them every four seconds because of this cause. "We are facing an unprecedented global food crisis and all signs suggest that we have not yet seen the worst," said the executive director of the World Food Program.
*** At the first session of the 20th Communist Party of China (CPC) Congress, President Xi Jinping on Sunday urged a united struggle to build a modern socialist country in all aspects. The Chinese leader stressed that the main task of the Chinese Communists will be to further unite the population around the construction of a country based on the concept of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Among the advances since the previous Congress, he highlighted that the country provided the population with better living conditions and won the battle against poverty, an event that he described as historic and that points to the need to continue developing the rural sector and agri-food production.
*** The Mexican Ella Bucio was proclaimed world champion this Sunday in the freestyle event at the World Parkour Championships in Tokyo, the first to be held in the history of this sport organized by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG). In the men's category, the winner was the Ukrainian Bohdan Kolmakov. Bucio won the gold medal this year at the World Parkour Cup in Montpellier (France) in the freestyle category, and also won first place in this specialty in Sofia, Bulgaria. The Mexican had already achieved the best time in the qualification with 26.0 points, while in the final she obtained 27.0. The second position was for the Japanese Hanaho Yamamoto (25.0) and the third place on the podium for the Czech Adela Merkova (24.5).
*** Shares of electric car company Tesla, led by billionaire Elon Musk, have plunged 50% from their high of almost a year ago, amid a widespread stock market slump in the U.S. amid fears of a recession, which has particularly affected companies in the technology sector. Tesla shares fell 7.55% to $204.99 per unit on Friday, bringing its market capitalization to $642.33 billion, according to Bloomberg data. Tesla shares are now worth half as much as on November 4, 2021, when its price was $409.97 per unit.
*** Canadian oil company Parex Resources announced Thursday the discovery of three new oil fields in the Colombian departments of Arauca and Casanare. The first discovery was made in a well drilled in the Capachos block, located in the municipality of Tame, in Arauca. Work is currently being completed to be able to inject oil through the pipelines in the fourth quarter of this year. The second discovery occurred in the Cabrestero block, located in the municipality of Villanueva, in Casanare. This well extracts 1,800 barrels of heavy oil per day. The last discovery also occurred in the department of Casanare, specifically in the municipality of Paz de Ariporo, in a new zone of block LLA-40. This discovery is expected to come on stream in this fourth quarter.
*** The renowned US investor and author of the popular book 'Rich Dad, Poor Dad', Robert Kiyosaki, criticized the "lack" of leadership that exists in the current US government and regretted that other countries are blamed for their own internal problems. During an event held this week, Kiyosaki said he was surprised by the actions taken by President Joe Biden's administration, referring to the open borders policy and the cancellation of the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. "And how can this guy [Biden] blame Russia," and its president, Vladimir Putin, for "our problems," he said.
*** The International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicted that Spain will be one of the European countries that will avoid technical recession next year, with a growth of 1.2 of its gross domestic product (GDP). The Spanish GDP forecast will be eight tenths of a percentage point lower than the previous forecast. Moreover, this figure is more pessimistic than the Spanish government's estimates, which foresee a 2.1 % advance for gross domestic product in 2023. Nevertheless, Spain is growing more strongly than other countries in Europe, said Alfred Kammer, director of the IMF's European Department.
*** Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that his country needs an army capable of attacking and securing peace in case the continent plunges into chaos due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the European Union's misguided policy towards Russia. "We cannot, like ostriches, bury our heads in the sand. We must accept reality: if this continues, the continent's economy will sink, people will be in danger and it seems that we must prepare for a protracted war," Orbán said Saturday in Budapest during a swearing-in ceremony for military volunteers.
*** A 50-year-old man has lost his life when he was trapped in his car during heavy flooding in the city of Heraklion, located on the Greek island of Crete, local media report. In addition, a woman who was possibly in the same car as the deceased is missing. This Saturday torrential rains caused severe flooding, turning roads into rivers. The Fire Department reported that nine vehicles were swept away by the water. According to the local press the number of missing may be higher, while the Coast Guard is involved in rescue efforts. In addition, the Heraklion International Airport was closed.